Cured rubber is useful in hose and tubing, liners, wire and cable insulation, mats, and molded items such as shoe soles, toys, kitchen ware, seals, and automotive parts. These applications generally require superior tensile strength, flex modulus, resilience, elongation, hardness, oil resistance, and/or electrical resistivity. In certain applications, service at high temperatures, i.e., at about 250.degree. F., is required.
Processes for providing the cured rubber using various curing or vulcanizing agents such as perioxides, azides, aldehyde/amine reaction products, sulfur, sulfur bearing accelerators, and dimethylol phenolic resins are well known.
The art is continuously striving to find substitutes for cured or vulcanized rubber, which have comparable physical properties, particularly high temperature service capability, but lower processing costs.